Scenes from the Tale of Genji

Asian Art

In this screen, Prince Genji (shown with chrysanthemums in his hat) rehearses a traditional dance with a friend (wearing maple leaves) in a courtyard while a woman watches from behind a screen. The woman may be one of Genji's love interests, the lovely Fujitsubo. In one corner, a woman stands on a game board, reciting poetry for small audience. This composition offers a strong sense of the Japanese courtly ideal, in which members of the aristocracy were expected to pass time in pursuit of highly refined and traditional forms of beauty.

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